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Safe transportation of children policy This is a mandated policy under the operational policy framework. Any edits to this policy must follow the process outlined on the creating, updating and deleting operational policies page.
Overview This policy outlines the Department for Education’s (department) obligations under the Education and Care Services National Law (South Australia) (National Law) and Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 (National Regulations) to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of children when a service is transporting children.
Children are considered to be under the care of the education and care service at the point the service is taken to assume responsibility for their care and wellbeing, which means the point at which the child commences the journey on the transportation provided by, or arranged by, the education care service.
By complying with this policy and associated procedure, the department’s education and care services will be meeting the requirements of the legislation.
Scope This policy applies to education and care services that provide or arrange for the transportation of children between an education and care service premises and an alternate location. The service remains responsible for children during the period of transportation.
This policy does not apply to transport requirements relating to excursions or regular outings. Excursions and regular outings are mandated by the camps and excursions policy. For family day care, refer to the children’s health and safety in family day care standard.
The responsibility for, and duty of care owed to, children applies in scenarios where the education and care service is transporting children, or has arranged for the transportation of children, between the education and care service premises and another location, for example their home, school. This includes when children are embarking and disembarking the means of transport, and entering and exiting the service premises.
Examples of transport not forming part of an education and care service include:
• private transport provided by families and carers (ie carers not engaged by/registered with this education and care service)
• where transport is arranged by an approved provider other than the department (eg a long day care service dropping off or collecting children from a department preschool)
• where the department is providing or arranging a school bus to school students for the purposes of attending school on which preschool children travel for the purpose of attending preschool. However, when approving preschool children to travel on a department school bus service, principals are required to ensure an authorisation for transportation in early childhood services and the safe transportation of children – risk assessment template are completed. Principals
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managing the relevant school bus service should discuss the request for a preschool child to travel on a school bus with the director of the early childhood service prior to approving, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children. Refer to the school transport policy.
This policy does not apply where children may be walking with educators outside of an education and care service premises. Other obligations that apply under the National Regulations when walking children are outlined in the camps and excursions policy and camps and excursions procedure (including for regular outings), such as the requirements to conduct risk assessments and obtain written authorisations.
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Contents Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 1
Scope ............................................................................................................................................................... 1
Detail................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Safe transportation of children procedure .................................................................................................. 4
Risk assessment for transportation ............................................................................................................. 4
Authorisations for transportation ............................................................................................................... 4
Roles and responsibilities ................................................................................................................................ 5
Education and care services ........................................................................................................................ 5
Early Childhood Services and Strategy ........................................................................................................ 5
Definitions ....................................................................................................................................................... 5
regular transportation ................................................................................................................................. 5
education and care service .......................................................................................................................... 5
approved education and care service ......................................................................................................... 6
Supporting information ................................................................................................................................... 6
Related legislation ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Related policies ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Record history ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Approvals ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
Revision record ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Contact ............................................................................................................................................................ 8
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Detail As the approved provider, the department has obligations under National Law to ensure children are adequately supervised at all times. This includes transportation, which forms part of the education and care service if the service remains responsible for children during the period of transportation. The service must take every reasonable precaution to protect children from harm and from any hazard likely to cause injury.
Education and care services that provide or arrange regular transportation to children, other than an excursion, must ensure they have in place policies and procedure for transportation including:
• a current risk assessment • written authorisation from parent/s or other person authorised by a parent and named in the
enrolment record • accurate records to account for children embarking and disembarking from a vehicle at the
education and care service.
To enable education and care services to meet these requirements, the department has developed a procedure for safe transportation of children, a risk assessment, authorisation and a daily record template.
All transportation documentation must be completed and retained at the service in line with this policy and associated procedures before any transportation takes place. Details on safe transportation are contained in the safe transportation of children procedure (PDF 292KB), including the requirement for education and care services to notify the department when commencing and ceasing regular transportation to children.
Safe transportation of children procedure The steps detailed in the department’s safe transportation of children procedure (PDF 292KB) which includes risk assessment, authorisation and record templates.
Risk assessment for transportation Risk assessments must identify and assess risks that the transportation of a child may pose to the safety, health or wellbeing of the child, and must specify how the identified risks will be managed and minimised. Risks should be evaluated each time children are transported unless the transportation is ‘regular transportation’. Risk assessments for regular transportation are reviewed and renewed every 12 months. A new risk assessment must be completed when changes in the circumstances of transportation highlight new or additional risks that may affect the safety, health and wellbeing of children being transported.
Authorisations for transportation Written authorisation for a child to be transported must be given prior to transportation, and by a parent or other person named in the child’s enrolment record as having authority, given by a parent, to authorise the child being transported by the service or on transportation arranged by the service. A new written authorisation must be obtained when changes in the circumstances of transportation highlight new or additional risks that may affect the safety, health and wellbeing of children being transported and a new risk assessment has been completed.
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Transportation record Education and care services must ensure that they keep daily records in accordance with regulations 102E and 102F under section 301 of the Education and Care Services National Law in relation to children embarking and disembarking a means of transport at the education and care service premises.
Records must be kept in accordance with the department’s information and records management policy and information and records management – corporate office procedure and information and records management for schools and preschools procedure and can only be destroyed in accordance with current approved records disposal schedules issued by State Records.
Roles and responsibilities
Education and care services Comply with this policy and the associated procedure.
Early Childhood Services and Strategy Monitor, review and evaluate the effectiveness of this policy in accordance with the department’s operational policy framework requirements.
Definitions
regular transportation Regular transportation, means the transportation by the service or arranged by the service (other than as part of an excursion) of a child being educated and cared for by this service, where the circumstances relevant to a risk assessment are substantially the same for each occasion on which the child is transported (eg circumstances that are NOT substantially the same might be when the means of transport, the transportation route or destination(s) have altered, the period of time during which the child is transported changes, or the provider of the transportation service has changed).
regular outing Means a walk, drive or trip to and from a destination that the service visits regularly as part of its educational program, and where the circumstances relevant of the risk assessment are substantially the same on each outing.
education and care service ‘Education and Care Service’ has a consistent meaning with that set out in the Education and Care Services National Law and includes the following education and care services provided by the department:
• preschools unless:
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o the program is delivered in a class or classes where a full-time education program is also being delivered to school children; and
o the program is being delivered to fewer than 6 children in the school • services in children’s centres where the Department for Education is the approved provider • department funded occasional care services • rural care program • department funded play centres • family day care • disability services.
approved education and care service An education and care service for which a service approval exists.
Supporting information Authorisation form for transportation of children in early childhood education and care services (DOCX 56KB)
Preschool policy compliance – self-assessment resource (PDF 510KB)
Risk assessment template – transporting children (DOCX 83KB)
Safe transportation of children (ACECQA) (PDF 189KB)
Safe transportation of children policy guidelines (ACECQA) (PDF 522KB)
Guidance for adequate supervision during transportation (ACECQA) (PDF 252KB)
Minimising the risk of children being left behind in vehicles (ACECQA) (PDF 1,993KB)
Related legislation Education and Early Childhood Services (Registration and Standards) Act 2011, Schedule 1 Education and Care Services National Law (South Australia)
Education and Care Services National Regulations
Related policies Acceptance and refusal of authorisations policy
Camps and excursions policy
Camps and excursions procedure
Safe transportation of children procedure (PDF 292KB)
School transport policy
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Record history Published: March 2023
Approvals OP number: 288 File number: DE19/29840 Status: approved Version: 1.3 Policy officer: Senior Policy Officer, Preschool Policy and Advice Policy sponsor: Assistant Director, Early Childhood Policy and Engagement Responsible executive director: Head of the Office for the Early Years Approved by: Director, Early Childhood Services and Strategy Approval date: 27 February 2023 Next review date: 27 February 2026
Revision record Version: 1.3 Approved by: Director, Early Childhood Services and Strategy Approval date: 27 February 2023 Next review date: 27 February 2026 Amendment(s): minor changes to detail section to reflect new regulations, including new transportation record section and updated hyperlinks.
Version: 1.2 Approved by: Director, Early Childhood Services and Strategy Approval date: 1 October 2021 Next review date: 1 October 2024 Amendment(s): minor edit to incorporate changes to the Education and Care Services National Regulations, clarification of requirements related to walking children and update of supporting information.
Version: v1.1 Approved by: Director, Early Childhood Services Approval date: 19 October 2020 Next review date: 19 October 2023 Amendment(s): updated existing policy and procedure to include specific links to FDC educator portal.
Version: v1.0 Approved by: Chief Operating Officer Approval date: 13 October 2020 Next review date: 13 October 2023 Amendment(s): implementation of new policy.
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Contact Regulation and Compliance, Office for the Early Years
Email: Education.nqfenquiries@sa.gov.au
Phone: (08) 8226 1646